In this two-week series, Rivals.com is taking a look at the high school football talent in rival regions - breaking down the best prospects, best teams and giving our vote for which area is superior.

TODAY'S MATCHUP: Cincinnati vs. Indianapolis

The case for Cincinnati

Cincinnati is one metropolitan area that legitimately crosses a state border. Northern Kentucky towns Covington and Fort Thomas are just a stone's throw across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati, so when considering the talent in the Queen City, we also will consider those prospects in Cincinnati's Kentucky suburbs.

Talent in the Cincinnati area is spread across all positions in the 2012 class, however. The area features prospects boasting multiple BCS offers at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker and defensive back. Four area prospects are ranked in the Rivals250 and another 10 are rated as three-stars.

University of Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones is doing a good job keeping the talent in his backyard at home. The Bearcats have commitments from four Cincinnati-area kids, including three-star defensive end Ryan Leahy of La Salle High and three-star offensive lineman Kyle Williamson of Madeira.

The No. 3 team in the entire country, Warren Central, carries the banner for Indianapolis this fall as well as in the 2012 class. The Warriors boast eight prospects that have already made commitments to BCS schools, led by four-star defensive tackle and Notre Dame commitment Sheldon Day.

The area's top-ranked prospect is Whiteland Community offensive tackle Jake Meador. The 6-7, 305-pound Meador is ranked as the nation's No. 241 overall prospect and the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana. He committed to Ole Miss in June over offers from the likes of Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Vanderbilt.

A total of 21 Indianapolis-area prospects have already made commitments to BCS schools. Indiana has the most, with six, while Cincinnati is second with five. They are followed by Kentucky with three commitments from the city, Louisville with two, Notre Dame with two and Purdue with two.

The class of 2013 in Indianapolis also looks to have a strong contingent of talent, led by Warren Central linebacker Tim Kimbrough and Avon defensive end Elijah Daniel. Between them, the pair of juniors already hold a combined six BCS offers.

Bottom line

In most years, Indianapolis would not be able to compete with the talent pool in the Cincinnati area, but the city is having a banner year in 2012 and more than holds its own as a metropolitan area. If Indianapolis was able to count the nation's No. 1 quarterback, Gunner Kiel, it may have pulled off the upset, but Kiel's hometown of Columbus sits just outside the metropolitan line. Cincinnati pulls out the win in this matchup by the narrowest of margins on the strength of three prospects ranked in the Rivals100.

Team matchup

As with many of the comparisons before this one, just taking the No. 1 team versus the No. 1 team is not quite an honest measurement of the two areas. Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central enters the year at No. 3 in the RivalsHigh 100. However, between the Warriors and the No. 2 team in Indianapolis falls at least seven teams from Cincinnati, and that is a generous count as it could be more. Warren Central is a team that could prove to be among the best teams in the country this season while Colerain, St. X, Moeller, Middletown, are all inside the Top 50 in the preseason rankings nationally and that has to swing the balance of power to the Queen City. The best team in Cincinnati is almost always among the better teams nationally with the talent on the field and the coaching on the sidelines. Indianapolis is starting to inch closer to that claim as the city is perceived to be better than Louisville in the region but not quite to Cincinnati standards at this point.